Jill’s Top 13 Things of 2013

OK, I didn’t watch Blackfish until after I wrote this list. But it deserves to be on it. It was a powerful, shocking documentary about SeaWorld and a whale named Tilikum. Whales are majestic creatures that don’t deserve to be in a bath tub for their whole lives. It’s disgusting.

I’m not a Christian, but this pope is fly. “If a person is gay and seeks the Lord and has good will, well who am I to judge them?” He seems like a really chill dude. For sure.

12. Benedict Cumberbatch
I watched all episodes of Sherlock this year. After episode one, I fell in love with actor/star Benedict Cumberbatch. A few months later, he would be the toast of Hollywood after starring as a fantastic villain in Star Trek: Into Darkness. He’s going to be a busy guy for the next while. He and Martin Freeman return to Sherlock next month. Woo! BC has a stellar voice. He can even make terrible R. Kelly lyrics sound good.

11. Barack Obama not going to the Olympics in Russia

It’s a not-so-subtle way of telling Russia that their anti-gay laws are ridiculous. Of course, it would be politically dangerous for him to come out and just say “I don’t approve of these laws.” but not making an appearance at the Sochi 2014 Olympics seems like a very clear message to me.

10. #GivingTuesday

This was the second year for #GivingTuesday, a new day to go along with Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This was the first time I took part in #GivingTuesday, and I was more than glad to share the news and donate money to a worthy charity. I hope this day continues to grow and be a success. Visit GivingTuesday.org for more details.

9. Game of Thrones

I shrieked. I stared. I shook my head in disbelief. This was definitely a great season for Game of Thrones despite one certain horrifying episode. I cannot wait for the next season, due out spring 2014.

8. Daft Punk – Get Lucky

It’s almost like disco is coming back…

7. Jennifer Lawrence

Um… duh? She’s an Oscar-winning actress who is not only stunning and talented but effing hilarious, confident and a hero to all women. She supplied fans with boat loads of funny comments and memorable gifs, and I hope there’s a lot more to come in 2014.

This was a fantastic news story about a huge city working together to make a dream day happen for a Make-a-Wish kid, Miles. He got to fight crime, ride in a Batmobile, he got the key to the city of San Francisco and he saved the day. And the story just gets better. Looks like Miles is now in remission. See more about the story here.

3. Orange is the New Black

I love Netflix. I didn’t get into House of Cards, although I heard it was excellent, and I didn’t really get into Derek, but I’m a hardcore fan of Netflix’s first series Lilyhammer. I’m not sure why it’s barely promoted. It’s kind of an oddball show, I get that, but it’s really great. And now Netflix can proudly fly their freak flag once more with the brilliant Orange Is The New Black, based on the memoir by Piper Kerman. It’s sexy, dirty, raw, clever and dramatic. But one shouldn’t expect less from a show from creator Jenji Kohan, previously the creator of Weeds, another show about a white upperclass female who does naughty things to survive and has to deal with the consequences.

2. Breaking Bad

Holy crap. Now that is how you end a great series. The ending was exactly what it needed to be. So many excellent shows leave the viewers going, “But… huh?” But everything with Breaking Bad was perfect. I didn’t cry because I was emotional over the fate of a character, but because I knew I didn’t have any more episodes to look forward to. Thank you, Vince Gilligan. Ya done good.

1. Sandra Bullock

Oh, Sandy.

In 2013, Sandra Bullock starred in not just one but two film roles usually filled by men. First, she and mah girl Melissa McCarthy starred in the buddy cop comedy, The Heat. It was funny but not totally memorable- a lot like most buddy cop comedies. Let’s be honest. But what did make it memorable was that it wasn’t two guys- it was two smart, tough, badass women. So refreshing.

And then there was Gravity.

Bullock is one of the few working actors who can seamlessly slide from comedy to drama and be excellent at both. In Gravity, she played an astronaut that gets into a lot of trouble when things go bad. In space. This movie was terrifying, beautiful and edge-of-your-seat crazy. It’s confirmed my feelings about never wanting to go into space though. Yeesh.

But movie roles like this are almost always written for men. There’s a stupid thing in Hollywood about people not going to see movies with women in the lead roles. To date, Gravity has earned $253 million. That’s a hefty sum. Hopefully it’s enough to inspire change in the industry.

This movie was a big win for women in Hollywood and feminism in general. And that is why it is my #1 thing of 2013.